Dr. Mark Chavez has been released on bail after conspiring to smuggle the surgical anesthetic ketamine to the late actor Matthew Perry.
Chavez, who entered into a plea agreement earlier this month, appeared in court in Los Angeles on Friday, where U.S. District Judge Jean P. Rosenbluth told him he could be released on bond, subject to several restrictions, including that he surrender his passport and not work as a doctor.
Chavez did not plead guilty or speak about the incident, but is scheduled to speak before a different judge at a date to be determined.
If Chavez pleads guilty, he could face up to 10 years in prison.
Matthew Perry's assistant, 'Ketamine Queen', reportedly tried to cover up star's overdose: documentary
Dr. Mark Chavez, who has been charged in connection with the ketamine overdose death of actor Matthew Perry, appeared in Roybal Federal Court in Los Angeles on Friday. (Associated Press)
Dr. Mark Chavez met with his attorney, Matthew Binninger, before his arraignment on Friday. (Associated Press)
Death of Perry According to an autopsy completed on October 29, his death on October 28 was due to “acute effects of ketamine.” Drowning, coronary artery disease, and effects of buprenorphine were listed as causes of death.
One of two doctors charged in connection with the death of Matthew Perry appeared in court Friday. (Greg DeGuire)
As part of his plea agreement, Chavez agreed to plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine. The San Diego doctor admitted to selling ketamine, including diverted ketamine from his former clinic, to Dr. Salvador Plasencia.
Chavez, who previously ran a ketamine clinic, is accused of submitting fake prescriptions in the names of former patients to obtain the drug, while Plascencia is accused of teaching Perry's assistant how to inject the actor with the drug.
According to court documents obtained by Fox News Digital, Perry had been searching for additional sources of ketamine in the month before his death after his doctor would not prescribe him any more ketamine.
According to the plea agreement, some of the ketamine lozenges obtained by Matthew Perry's assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, came from forged prescriptions written by Dr. Mark Chavez. (U.S. Attorney's Office)
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Perry met Plascencia, who contacted Chavez for ketamine.
“I wonder how much this idiot is gonna pay. Let's find out,” Plascencia allegedly texted Chavez, according to court documents.
Plascencia has pleaded not guilty and is awaiting trial.
Matthew Perry was known for his role in the hit sitcom Friends. (NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images)
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Three other people have also been charged in connection with Perry's death.
Perry's assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine resulting in death on August 7. Iwamasa admitted to repeatedly injecting Perry with ketamine without any medical training, including administering multiple injections on the day Perry died.
On August 15, United States Attorney Martin Estrada for the Central District of California announced the arrest of five people in connection with the death of Matthew Perry. (Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images)
Jasveen Sangha, also known as the “Ketamine Queen,” was indicted on one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine and also faces five counts of maintaining a drug facility, possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, possession with intent to distribute ketamine, and distribution of ketamine.
Eric Fleming, who admitted to working as a middleman between Sangha and Iwamasa, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine and one count of distribution of ketamine resulting in death on Aug. 8. Fleming admitted in court documents to distributing the ketamine that caused Perry's death.
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In documents outlined in the indictment, drug dealer Eric Fleming described the ketamine that was available to Perry and his assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa. (U.S. Attorney's Office)
According to court documents, ketamine provided by Sangha and allegedly given to Iwamasa by Fleming killed Perry on Oct. 28.
That morning, Perry's assistant gave the actor a shot of ketamine around 8:30 a.m. By 12:45 p.m., Perry had instructed Iwamasa to give him another injection while he was watching a movie. About 40 minutes later, Perry asked Iwamasa for another shot, telling him to “give me a big one,” according to the plea agreement.
The live-in assistant administered the third injection to Perry, 54, while he was near or in the Jacuzzi. Iwamasa then left the house to run an errand for Perry. When the assistant returned, she found Perry dead, “face down,” in the Jacuzzi.
Authorities allege the three then conspired to cover up their involvement in Perry's death.
Fox News Digital's Tracey Wright and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
